60 HARDSHIPS OF ACCESSING CITIZENSHIP No progress has been made on regulations and procedures to facilitate access to citizenship for stateless of Lebanese origins. Those courageous enough to engage on this bumpy road face slow, costly and complex journey, with little guarantee of success. The drive for stateless persons to initiate the process to acquire the Lebanese nationality seems to be much lower in Greater Beirut (53%) and Mount Lebanon (60%) than in Akkar (73%). The cases initiated in Mount Lebanon and Greater Beirut are also more recent than those in Akkar, with 47% and 40% of those launched after 2015 respectively. They were mostly launched with the support of lawyers, with a smaller proportion resorting to specialized NGOs. Fig 21. When did you initiate your nationality procedure? Prior to 1994 1994 - 2005 2006 - 2015 Since 2015 GREATER BEIRUT 4% 24% 30% 40% MOUNT LEBANON 2% 19% 26% 47% AKKAR 6% 23% 26% 35% Respectively 63% and 65% of respondents from Greater Beirut and Mount Lebanon who had initiated a procedure declared having paid financial fees and costs, ranging between a hundred and a few thousands of USD, depending on how long ago their procedure started and what step they are currently at. Among the respondents who had initiated this process, only 15% and 22% respectively in Greater and Mount Lebanon had reached the final stages of the procedure. The largest proportion falls however among those who either don’t know what stage they are at or remain blocked (35% in Greater Beirut and 44% in Mount Lebanon), which is much higher than in Akkar (23%) and Tripoli (9%). Fig 22. Where is your case pending? Submitted request at mukhtar Obtained proof of lineage Proceeded with DNA test Underwent GDGS probe Case transferred to civil court GREATER BEIRUT 24% 10% 5% 14% 15% MOUNT LEBANON 20% 2% 2% 9% 22% AKKAR 32% 8% 3% 12% 20% © 2023 Siren Associates. All Rights Reserved.